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Expert Q&A
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| By Harriet S. Worobey, M.A. Early Childhood Educator Director, the Nutritional Sciences Preschool | ||
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My 4-year-old doesn't seem interested in learning to write with pencils/pens. She loves working with paints and brushes. How do I encourage her to write? Also, won't she need to know how to write her name before entering preschool?
Let me answer your second question first. No, she will not need to know how to write her name before entering preschool. Writing her name will certainly be one of many skills that her preschool will help her explore and learn. Please bear in mind that printing is a fine motor skill that requires physical readiness as well as practice. It is a totally separate skill from letter recognition, for example.
To answer your first question, you are already encouraging her to write by encouraging her practice with paints and brushes. The fine motor skills needed in painting are the ones needed for printing. Other activities that encourage fine motor development will help her pre-writing skills as well, such as cutting with scissors, drawing with chalk and markers, tearing paper, and throwing and catching small balls and beanbags.
In terms of her interest in writing, perhaps making books together by cutting and pasting magazine pictures might be a start. Be sure that you label each object in the book. She may become interested in doing the same thing. Another fun project is having your child dictate a story to you, and then she could illustrate each page. You can encourage her to practice some of the words herself and maybe try to print her name as the author and illustrator. Another encouraging project could be for her to draw or paint a card for grandparents or other relatives. You could also start with her just putting the first letter of her name on things she has made. Please do not pressure your child - she has many years to mature and grow at her own rate.
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